"My parents, they became poor": The Socio-Economic Effects of the Expropriation and Relocation of Stoney Point Reserve #43, 1942

Helen Roos

Abstract

On 14 April 1942 the Stoney Point Reserve was expropriated by the Department of National Defence and Indian Affairs. The land was required for an advanced military training camp to support the war effort The Stoney Point families were quickly relocated to the neighbouring Kettle Point Reserve #44. The loss of the reserve was a traumatic experience for the small Stoney Point band and resulted in severe economic and social problems. Physical removal caused widespread poverty among the band due to inadequate compensation, separation from resources and work, and a reliance on welfare. Socially, the Stoney Pointers suffered from an identity crisis, feeling disjointed from their community and its roots. This case study provides an examination of the effects of expropriation and relocation on Native communities.